Regional director of commercial, Sydney metro
Lynette Walsh’s introduction to the insurance industry came a little earlier than most – at age 11, Walsh was already learning the tools of the trade at her father’s successful insurance brokerage in Ireland, which she saw grow from a small operation to one of the town’s largest employers, with nearly 50 staff and a considerable online presence.
“I spent most of my spare time outside of school in the o ffice, as I loved to help and protect the local community,” Walsh says. “As I progressed through school, university and my post-graduate, I always knew I would remain in insurance broking, as I don’t believe there is a more rewarding role in business than helping people, families, businesses and communities through their toughest times – knowing, because of you and the work you’ve done, they’ll get through this.”
In her role at Aon, Walsh leads teams in Parramatta, Bankstown and Sydney that service the needs of commercial clients with revenues between $2.5m and $250m. “I am responsible for ensuring we deliver true value to our nearly 4,000 clients and exceed their expectations,” she says, “whilst also providing the best of development opportunities for my team members, creating and achieving our growth strategy, and innovating our solutions and expertise.”
Walsh says the COVID-19 pandemic and the operational changes that followed have forced her to grow as a leader. “I have become more resilient,” she says. “Challenges are all surmountable when you put in perspective what we have gone through and achieved over the past few months. I approach each day with positivity and approach each problem with the confidence that it can be solved – because it can.”
